Appeals Courts are Dismantling Stricter Voter ID Laws

In August, a federal district judge in Corpus Christi, Texas, approved a settlement agreed to by state officials that voters without the state-approved ID should be able to sign a declaration that they faced "reasonable impediments" in obtaining one.

Those voters must be allowed to cast a regular ballot after they show an alternative form of ID, such as a voter registration card, utility bill or other form of government ID that's not on the state's list.

On April 4, 2015, North Charleston, South Carolina police officer Michael Slager shot and killed Walter Scott, an unarmed African-American father, as he ran away during a routine traffic stop. The incident was caught on video by a local bystander, and confirmed the demand for significant changes in policing practices across the country.

New Concerns About Voter Intimidation

A group called "Vote Protectors" is trying to recruit 3,000 poll watchers in key battleground states. The NAACP Legal Defense Fund's Sherrilyn Ifill and Michael Waldman of the Brennan Center for Justice join to discuss.

Winning in court, losing on the ground: uncertainty clouds U.S. voting rights

With early voting already under way ahead of the Nov. 8 election, local officials in several states are trying to enforce restrictions that have been suspended or struck down in court, civil rights advocates say. In some cases, the action appears to be the result of bureaucratic confusion. In other cases, they appear to be actively resisting the law.

Yesterday, Senator Ted Cruz urged his colleagues to block filling the current Supreme Court vacancy indefinitely, remarking that “[t]here is certainly long historical precedent for a Supreme Court with fewer justices.” This statement and the Senate's continued refusal to fill the Supreme Court vacancy created by the death of Justice Scalia, is dangerous and contrary to history.